


The Paradise Box

by Ingenueity



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Emphasis on Scenery, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Loneliness, Mechanics, Mutual Pining, Omnic Crisis, Oral Sex, Useless Lesbians, mild alcohol mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 22:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13936596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ingenueity/pseuds/Ingenueity
Summary: Brigitte had been looking for an opportunity to join the Heroes of Overwatch on a mission of her own. When she lands a secretive dream job in the isolated mountains of South Korea, she meets Hana, a lonely military girl about to send Brigitte into a world of uncertainty. With a great danger looming beneath the waves of the sea, they might not have much time!





	1. Chapter 1

per usual, this is isn't proofread; it is just something i whipped up at night.  
i will try to release chapters at a steady pace but i do spend a lot of time actually playing the game. leaving a small comment or kudos fills me with so much raw energy! :)

___

 

Brigitte threw the machine parts over her shoulder. In her arms, she carried a smaller wooden crate. She had been traversing through this particular mountain region for over three hours now and now she was in the thickest part of the valley. It was rugged, humid, and particularly wet this time of year in South Korea. Quick rain showers were frequent throughout the day and Brigitte always found herself hiding under nearby tree cover. She could not, under any circumstances, let her poor supplies fall victim to rust especially the package she was carrying. Her mission was fairly simple: She had to locate the agent, deliver the assets, then complete her research. It was more than simple, actually.

Brigitte knew mountainsides. Okay, so South Korea was a bit more humid than Sweden but Brigitte had been hiking the backwoods since she could walk on two legs. It was practically a vacation! And God, Korea was beautiful. Before her mission, she had read that South Korea was a calm landscape full of vast mountainsides and gorgeous changing seasons. It was the beginning of Summer and the smell of trees and flowers filled the air. And although they were difficult to cross with all of her supplies, the winding rivers were really something to behold.

A few weeks prior, She received private instructions from the revived Overwatch HQ. She was working in Strasbourg, helping with the relief effort. Her job entailed helping the locals rebuild houses and shelters from pre-war.

It was simple work to write up the blueprints for her job but hellish to actually organize the volunteers. Every man, woman, and child had it in their mind that the old ways of building things were done for and looked to the Vishkar Corporation for the future. Everyone hailed Vishkar, even in Germany. Nobody wanted to bother building houses out of wood and stone when hard light architecture was the way of the future. But that was just expensive and unrealistic! Brigitte never thought highly of a company that had no problem profiting on the suffering of civilians. Vishkar Corp. be damned! 

Brigitte stood In the middle of a mechanical shop, she set to work scavenging for supplies to help her repair Reinhardt’s damaged armor. He had managed to bang it up pretty bad in his last tussle with raiders. She checked bins and shelves to find screws and wires. Was it so hard to have a Type NM cable for sale? She wasn’t asking for much!

It was then when her wristwatch started to vibrate. Winston was calling her! She answered her watch and a small hologram of Winston’s face appeared above her wrist.

“Agent of Overwatch.”

“Winston!” Brigitte couldn’t help but express her excitement. “Reinhardt is not here at the moment, I can track him down though. He should be at the pub though.”

“No, that’s not it.” Winston began slowly.

“Papa’s there, is he?” She asked. “I need to say hi.”

“No he’s actually been sent back to Sweden. We need him there to develop a new type of weapon. Actually that’s why I’ve called you today, Agent Brigitte.” Winston chuckled and pushed his glasses up his nose. He met her eyes with a mischievous wink. “We need you to deliver it.”

Brigitte grinned so wide he jaw popped.

“DO YOU REALLY MEAN IT?” She brought her hands to her face in excitement and let out a loud shout. She had been requesting a stand alone mission for several months now but was always met with an on-standby status. Brigitte had dreamed of this day ever since she was a young girl. She had specific memories of pretending to fight side by side with Reinhardt and Father on missions of her own; And now this was her chance to take action, not as a squire or mechanic, but as an actual bonafide agent. Her brow furrowed. Of course, this news was a bit too perfect. In all her joy, she had almost forgotten her Crusader and best friend.

“But..” She began.

“About Reinhardt. No need to worry.” Winston continued. “I am in need of his services here in London. In fact, he already knows about his position. I, Uh, informed him a week ago.”

“That old hund! He could have at least told me.”

“Actually. I wanted to brief you myself.”

Brigitte sat down in a nearby chair. She was getting a bit dizzy from all the excitement. It was hard to contain all her emotions at once. “So what do you need me to do? Deliver Papa’s supplies somewhere? Of course I can do that.”

“It is more detailed than just a delivery. The nature of your mission will require caution. Uh, are you alone right now?”

Brigitte scanned the room. It was full of a few older men, several soldier types with war related injuries. They couldn’t all have been civilizations. She locked eyes with a ruggish sort on the other side of the shop. He was a lean, grizzled thing with an omnic companion to his right. A shiver went up her spine.

“No.” Brigitte whispered.

“I will send you the details of your mission tonight. Make sure you read them when you are absolutely certain you are alone. Do you understand?”

“Ja, I understand.” Brigitte nodded. “And Winston..”

Winston paused and tilted his holographic head slightly.

“Thank you.”

She finished up her purchase in the shop and spent a half an hour tracking down Reinhardt. He was in front of the train station trading stories with some German children. When he turned and saw her, he said nothing but smiled warmly. She ran up to him and gave the large man the biggest hug she could muster. He was warm and friendly and could give the best hugs on the planet! He was her best friend.

“I’ll miss you very much and think about you every day.” She squeezed him tightly. “Don’t go breaking all your bones on me, old man. Hej då.”

“Ha! Ha!” Reinhardt beamed, his eyes watery. Was he crying?!

“Make me proud!” He chuckled.

And with Reinhardt’s blessing, Brigitte left Germany in a hurry. Her mission, included the following:

1\. She was to pick up Package X in an airport in Shanghai on the 17th  
2\. She would then catch a private flight to an unknown South Korean airbase on the 18th  
3\. On the 20th, she would leave the airbase alone and travel through the mountains to a private military bunker located several miles from Busan  
4\. After arriving at the bunker, she was to open Package X and work with the scientists there to perfect and study the materials inside.  
5\. For the next few weeks, she would work on building a new sustainable super weapon to help the Korean people with the upcoming attacks.

Brigitte’s heart ached for the people of Korea. For years after the omnic crisis, a massive cluster of broken machines and A.I. components would occasionally arise from the Ocean and attack Korea. The omnic monster was something crafted of pure nightmares. Its loud artificial screech could be heard from miles inland. The beast always gave little warning before crawled out of the water and started to produce drone after drone to brutally attack the nearby cities. And once it slipped back into the ocean, it was untraceable. Many scientists had theories about where the monster went once it went under the waves but even with the latest technology, experts were left baffled.

The people lived in fear everyday that they might be attacked at a moments notice. The only thing they could do was fortify and build their defenses. That is where South Korea’s team of military mech pilots came in. With their fusion cannons, defense matrixes, and celebrity status, they were truly a marvel to behold. Brigitte couldn’t help but swoon to think of all their high tech equipment they used. If she could help them out using her skills as a mechanic, even a little bit, it would be a dream come true. Maybe she could even get up close and personal with those fancy MEKAs. 

 

 

Now, Brigitte was in South Korea and, for the past several hours, she had hiked the roughest parts of the valley. It wasn’t too big a deal, she was almost to her destination.

She covered the sun from her eyes and squinted into the distance. She could see the bunker! About a mile ahead of her, located on the mountainside was a large area surrounded by trees and earthen walls. The bunker was a combination of several old, wooden buildings and a newer military fortress. The architecture on the older buildings was absolutely gorgeous with tiled roofs and faded designs, although she couldn’t say the same for the newer building. Everything still looked excellently maintained. She couldn’t wait to walk past the gate and finally have a good night’s sleep and a hot meal. Her stomach practically roared.

Suddenly, the clouds started to shift once again. Little droplets of rain started to fall on top of her head and Brigitte cursed. She darted under a nearby tree. Its branches stooped so low they looked like they could bend and snap at any moment. Still, it was cover. She set down her gear and the crate she was carrying and sat down on the twisted roots of the tree.

She waited several minutes which turned into a half an hour. She kicked puddles and dug her boots into the leafy mush. The rain only poured harder. Förböveln, she was so close too!

“Hello.” A cheery voice sounded from behind her. Brigitte turned in surprise. Behind the tree was a girl around her age, she was sopping wet but awfully cute. The girl was wearing a pink parka, long striped-socks, and boots. Her long auburn hair was tied into a ponytail.

“Since you are all the way up here, you must be authorized personnel.” The girl said while taking a seat next to Brigitte.

Brigitte tensed up when their arms touched but the girl took no notice. “My name’s Hana.”

“I’m Brigitte Lindholm.”

“Lindholm, Lindho- Oh!” Hana exclaimed. “I know who you are! We’ve been expecting the Prototypes for a week now, I’m very excited to see what kind of improvements you can make to my MEKA.”

“I assure you I can make any mechanical improvement you can imagine.” Brigitte shook her head in disbelief. “Did you say you have your own MEKA?”

Hana nodded with a large grin on her face.

“You’re a pilot!” Brigitte clasped Hana’s hands. “You’re a defender of your homeland and a true hero!”

“In the flesh.” Hana said.

“I just want to say I admire you so much, Hana.”

“Thank you.” She paused noting the supplies Brigitte had been hauling. “So those are the parts.. Huh. Way cool!”

Brigitte patted the knapsack full of her supplies. “These are my babies. It was difficult to condense everything I could possibly need for repairs to just one sack but it had to be done.”

“Do you have a cellphone on you?” Hana questioned.

“Ja I do. For emergencies only. It only has two numbers on it.”

“It won’t work. That’s something they don’t tell you right away.” Hana said matter-of-factly. “If you want to contact an outsider you have to use the basement floor. It has to do about the top secret stuff going on here at Fort Chi-hun.” Her face started to get redder. She was getting worked up. “And if you want any access to the internet or streaming services for recreational use it will be outright denied. Living here is definitely hard-mode!”

Brigitte let out a loud chuckle.

“What?” Hana asked flatly.

“I bet that’s why you’re out here walking in the rain! You’re bored out of your gourd!” Brigitte continued to laugh but Hana looked mad. She stared ahead, almost in a melancholic state. 

“Oh no. It’s true!” Brigitte patted Hana’s hair. “Sorry, I didn’t think I’d guess so correctly.”

“You owe me later for hurting my feelings.” Hana smiled mischievously. “So I’m an internet addict. I always had more games in my library than friends down the street.”

“I’m the exact opposite.” Brigitte said. “I’m always making friends everywhere I go. Mama always says that I have the brains of my father and the heart of a large puppy.”

Hana buckled over with laughter. Brigitte didn’t know what was so funny but soon both of them were laughing. “Still, that sounds pretty lonely.” Brigitte patted Hana on the back. When Hana gave no response, Brigitte continued. “ But I’ve never had a dog in my life. Only cats.”

“No, that’s wonderful I love cats!” Hana beamed then turned so that Brigitte could see the back of her parka. There was an angry bunny pattern printed on the back. “But the bunny is my logo.”

“I’ve SEEN THAT!” Brigitte couldn’t believe it. “Holy Fuck! You’re D.va!” She knew the name Hana Song had sounded familiar but couldn’t place it until she saw the bunny logo. The girl in front of her was more than a hero, she was a superstar. Before leaving Sweden for Germany, she had seen “Hero of my Storm” in which Hana had landed a leading role.

“I love you!”

“Really?” Hana smirked. “Awe, I like you too.” She said before turning to the side blushing heavily as if she only then realized what she had said.

“I mean I love the movie you were in and your military work. You’re so cool!” Brigitte continued.

“Of course!” Hana flushed. Brigitte had no idea a superstar could get this embarrassed by a fan. It was odd. Nevertheless, she found herself heating up too.

Brigitte let out a short cough. “Hey look, the rain’s stopping.” The raindrops were now few and far inbetween. It was still overcast and the entire valley was flooded in a cool light. Hana jumped off of the tree stump and picked up the crate carrying the important prototype.

“Careful!” Brigitte shouted.

“I will be.” Hana assured. “This belongs to me now anyway. Thank you for delivering it safely!”

Brigitte sighed in resignation and picked up her knapsack. “Quick let’s get going before it starts pouring again!”

“I’ll race you and win first place!” Hana took off running towards Fort Chi-hun.

“Vänta! I said CAREFUL!” Brigitte followed after.

 

 

In the following weeks, the girls became fast friends. The work was long as strenuous but Brigitte couldn’t help but wonder if she was in heaven. For seven hours a day, she was assigned to a workshop all her own. She had every tool she could possibly need. Every bench, bolt, and knife was supplied to her upon request and she even had access to special laser equipment and hard light printers. The military left nothing unaccounted for. She needed every scrap of material too. The research was going well, but progress was slow.

What time she had left, she would play games with Hana. Hana had a few single-player video games in her room. They were “complimentary” she said. Hana had beaten them all within the first two weeks of being stationed. She had given clear instructions on what new games to buy but since video games weren’t necessary for research, her demands were left unattended. So instead, the girls played sports like basketball in the court outside or ping-pong in the breakroom. Brigitte even introduced her to Kubb and Hide-and-Go-Seek. Even though they weren’t the type of games she was used to, Hana still went about them aggressively. She cared deeply about victory. Brigitte could tell she was a very competitive person. The way she took each challenge so seriously was impressive, and Brigitte really liked it. 

Even though Hana tested the prototypes every few days and gave feedback, Brigitte couldn’t understand why Hana was stationed at Fort Chi-hun in the first place. The serious testing could be done safely a year from now. She didn’t even need a MEKA pilot to do the small tests right now. Hell, she could do the tests herself. But Hana had been at the bunker for a few weeks before her arrival and was stationed for several months after. Not that Brigitte was complaining, but she couldn’t place her finger on it.

When she brought it up with Hana, the girl only shrugged.

“This isn’t a permanent position. I’ll be back in action before you know it.”

“Hopefully not. I like your company.” Brigitte gave Hana a concerned look. “But if we can get the adjustments made to your mech, specifically the missle launchers, up and running before the next omnic attack on Korea, we could really have a shot at winning against this thing. Presumably, it would be “game-changing” for you!”

“Oh, right.” Hana agreed. “I like the way you put that.”

She didn’t bring it up again.

 

 

In the afternoon, another rainstorm rolled in above Fort Chi-hun. Brigitte was sitting in the mess hall working with a few small components. She had a bag of pretzels opened up on the circular table she was at. Salt and crumbs spread everywhere.

“You always find other places to work even though you’ve got a perfectly good workplace downstairs.” Hana said as she entered the room and sat on top of the table. She picked up one of Brigitte’s pretzels and crushed it between her fingers before stuffing the pieces into her mouth.

“I wanted to eat, but I’m really frustrated so I ended up working on this. I just need to get these pieces to fit together without falling apart easily.”

“Let me see.” Hana looked closely at the pieces.

“Don’t touch just yet.” Brigitte warned. “I really need these just like this.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Aaaaaah! These pieces are driving me crazy.” She looked at the digital wall clock. The time was around 4:42pm. “Hey Hana do you want to hang right now?”

Hana crossed her arms. “I’ll have to check my schedule.” She said.

“Let’s go.” Brigitte grabbed Hana’s arm and dragged her down the hall. 

“-Your pretzels!”

They went back and grabbed the pretzel bag. Their destination was one of the older buildings outside of the actual bunker, but still inside the walls. It was their secret hideout away from the hustle and bustle of the other personnel. The floors and walls were made of entirely of painted wood and the room opened up completely on one side allowing greyish light to flow behind the pillars. The building was in excellent condition.

“Hana, Tell me a secret.” Brigitte said as she lay on her back looking up at the ceiling. It may have been a childish request but it was all in innocent fun. Since they had reverted to outside sports and games for fun, naturally, they played the occasional game of truth-or-dare or secret-spilling as well. Hana was playing with a handheld console right beside Brigitte as she looked up.

“Only if you tell me your secrets too!” Hana snapped close her game and sat cross legged.

“Let me go first then.” Brigitte knew exactly what sort of secret she could freely give away. She wasn’t a very private person anyway. “Until I was sixteen I was very scared of ghosts.” Hana nodded but spent no time in blurting out her secret as well.

“Once I was drafted and moved to Busan, I spent time in many adult bars and strip clubs a lot.”

“No way!” Brigitte gasped. She tried to not act surprised. It wasn’t anything completely unnatural. In this day and age young city girls did that sort of thing all the time. She was certainly old enough, maybe she should be going out for weekend drinks too. Sure, she hit up the occasional pub with Reinhardt but he always felt like such a father figure. It all stacked up to work in the end. She couldn’t help but think that maybe if Hana and her had met under different circumstances and that they were just normal girls maybe they would go out to clubs together for fun.

“L.O.L. Your face right now! Anyway, your turn.” Hana clapped. Damn, Brigitte couldn’t really read what she was thinking. 

“Okay..” Brigitte closed her eyes and sat up. She decided she was going to be brave in this moment. She was usually never one to question herself but in this moment, she did feel light in the stomach. She decided to place her trust in her friend. “I like girls.” Brigitte said as flatly as she could.

“Yea.” Hana nodded.

Brigitte laughed. “Hey, that’s really personal for me. I don’t think I can get any deeper than that. I’m pretty much an open book. Ah, and here I thought I was going to get juicy secrets from you today.”

Hana looked like she was deep in thought. She muttered something, but it was in Korean and Brigitte couldn’t understand.

“You know I stream my battles from my mech? Everything still seems like such a game. Even in the heat of battle, It still seems like just a really intense game. Some people say that I cover up my fear really well, but I really don’t feel afraid.” Hana blushed at giving away such private information. “Once I get in the zone, everything’s just a rush! I guess that’s what puts me one step ahead of all the other casuals.”

“That scares me.” Brigitte admitted.

“Oh right, you fight too as a knight or something.” Hana said.

“No.” She answered. “I mean it scares me that someday I might lose you in the battlefield. I know what it’s like out there. You’re one of my closests friends my age I’ve ever had. I don’t want you to be gone someday.”

“I’m a better fighter than you. You’d probably get hurt way before me.”

“Rude.” Brigitte huffed. “Are you challenging me?”

A devilish smile crept onto Hana’s face. “Yes.” She traced a finger up and down Brigitte’s leg making Brigitte jump slightly. “Let’s do this again sometime soon, I like knowing your secrets!”

Brigitte’s stomach was suddenly filled to the brim with butterflies! She ruffled the other girl’s hair before standing up to leave the room. She had deadlines to meet.

 

 

Two months later, the two only continued to grow closer. Brigitte was getting ready for bed at the late hours of 3 am. She had a room up the stairs and down the hall from her shop, but she hardly used it. She had a sleeping bag on the tile floor of her workshop right under a piece of armor plating she was currently working on. Once she was done brushing her teeth and rinsing with mouthwash, she took off her pants and settled down on the sleeping bag. Ugh, it was too hot and humid.

There was a few quick knocks from the door to the shop. “Hej hej, come in.” Brigitte looked up from the floor to see Hana quietly shut the door behind her. It was dark, except for a few blue work lights in the corner of the room so she could hardly see Hana’s cute face. Damn.. did she really think that? Of course she did.. Hana was a cutie!

“Brigitte.”

Brigitte tensed when Hana spoke her name. “Ja?”

“I was wondering if we could have a sleepover.” Hana was already walking over to her sleeping bag so Brigite couldn’t really say no. She felt soft down as Hana set down her pillow next to her face. Brigitte blew the pillow fabric out of her face. “Sorry.” Hana said. It was crowded.

“What’s up, Hana.” Brigitte and Hana curled up together on the same sleeping bag. Brigitte complained earlier that it was hot but now it was at least a zillion degrees warmer.

“Just a sleepover, like I’ve always wanted to have.” Hana said.

“Is that all?” Brigitte said a little breathlessly.

“What!” Hana squeaked out.

“We could always get snacks down the hall. They have some sugar cookies left out and some popcorn packets in the cabinet.” Brigitte covered her face in her hands. “That’s what I mean.”

Hana started to laugh her distinct laugh. It was very sexy. “No, I just want to fall asleep here with you.” Hana peered at her through the darkness. Their eyes met and Hana twined her fingers with Brigitte’s. 

Brigitte held her breath. Was she really reading all the signs right. She had many friends before and even a girlfriend once, but she wasn’t sure if Hana was just being her form of friendly. It was a stupid, brief thought but she also considered the fact that maybe this was a cultural difference.

Except for the buzzing and whirring noises of the workshop machines, they stayed together in silence. Ages passed. 

“Brigitte.” The heat was unbearable but when Hana spoke her name, Brigitte shivered. Did Hana know what she was doing?

Hana leaned up and kissed Brigitte on her nose. God, this was really happening! It was unexpected, but nevertheless, it was happening!

Brigitte instinctively puckered her lips and Hana timidly went in for another kiss, this time on the lips. Their kiss was chaste and deeply intimate. Brigitte found herself pulling away from the kiss wanting to taste Hana more. She was sweet.

“You taste sweet like.. Candy.” Brigitte mumbled just low enough to hear.

“You taste sweet like, toothpaste and mouthwash.” Hana grinned. Brigitte pulled her close and wrapped her arms around Hana’s neck. They tangled together on the floor and deeply kissed each other. Hana was, very nimble with her affections. They traded tongues and explored each other's tastes like they knew nothing else. Brigitte couldn’t care about anything else at the moment even if she tried, not work or the prototype, just Hana. She kissed her over and over. The sounds that she drew from her were music to her ears.

“Hana..” Brigitte moaned. She pushed Hana flat onto her back on the sleeping bag and rolled on top of her, her knees on both sides of the other girl. She breathlessly left a line of deft kisses down Hana’s jawline. Her plump lips ghosted over Hana’s neck and she savored the sensation. When she reached her collarbone she trailed her tongue across the pale flesh. Hana’s skin was so soft and so inviting.

The two stopped suddenly as they heard the doorknob turn and twist. Clank! Clank! Clank! Someone was trying to get into the workshop. Neither girl said anything. Brigitte held her breath for an eternity. She raked her mind as to what scientist or janitor might be trying to get into her workspace. A few came to mind. Luckily, Hana had locked the door behind her. She was a clever girl, who had planned ahead. When the door knob stopped rattling, their eyes met again.

Brigitte noticed her hand covering Hana’s mouth to keep her quiet. Hana licked her palm and she pulled her hand away.

I don’t think they heard us.” Brigitte smiled into another kiss.

“I don’t care if they heard us or not.” Hana massaged the back of Brigitte’s head and rubbed circles up and down her back. “But we should get to sleep.”

“Of course. Tomorrow they serve pancakes for breakfast if we get there early enough.” Brigitte whispered in an attempt to make Hana laugh.

Hana only gave her a loving look instead. Brigitte racked her brain to think of words that could describe how adorable this girl was. She couldn’t really! Her deep brown eyes did things to her that sent her heart fluttering and in that moment she saw everything Hana was: beautiful, angelic, spirited, bored, sad, weary, lonely. Brigitte had never seen a girl so lonely before. But for every weakness Hana exposed, Brigitte loved every inch of her more. Brigitte placed one single kiss on her forehead. “Jag älskar dig, I love you.”

“Do you mean that?” Hana asked with a tint of surprise in her voice as if she couldn’t believe what was being told to her. 

Brigitte rolled over onto her side. They were only a hair’s length apart; their elbows barely touched. “I think so.” She thought to herself. “Yes.”

Hana hummed to herself in the darkness.

“Really..?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brigitte has finally settled into her role as an accomplished mechanic working on MEKA's next big project for pilot, Hana Song. She spends her days developing and fine-tuning the MEKA project in hopes that it can stand up against the next wave of omnics to terrorize the coast of South Korea. As she becomes closer to Hana, she uncovers the unsettling truth about her arrival at the base. (NSFW)

(AN: ... there will be one more chapter to finish this story off. sorry for my english! I wrote a majority of this before the short came out and was a bit surprised i had some lore correct..! thank you very much for comments and nice words and kudos! i hope to write more stories in the future! ) 

___

Brigitte awoke to a cold room. Her workshop, although filled to the brim with supplies, held a surprisingly empty feeling. She opened her eyes and scanned around. Hana was nowhere to be seen. Although she had fallen asleep in her arms, she must have taken off sometime during the night. Brigitte’s heart raced with worry. Maybe she had pushed past her limits last night? Maybe Hana was just curious and already regretted their kiss. It was all so much to think about. Her head throbbed with the start of a headache. 

“It doesn’t bother me that much.” Brigitte assured herself out loud. It really did bother her. She stretched until her joints cracked before standing up. She reached into the drawer under her desk and took out some fresh clothes, a daisy-patterned towel, shampoo, and soap. She dressed quickly and went for the door. Her destination: the showers.

The showers here were nothing special, but meant everything to Brigitte. Her thoughts raced back to a few years ago, when she was still traveling in Europe with Reinhardt. Germany was no stranger to unpredictable weather and mud and forest slop always found a way onto their clothes and armor.

The duo found themselves constantly cleaning off in rivers and creeks more times than they’d ever publicly admit. Brigitte had become somewhat of an expert at washing her hair in a sink. Whatever was convenient. Once Brigitte’s mom found out about her outdoorsy habits, she made her daughter -and Reinhardt- promise to regularly bathe at least once a week indoors somewhere. It wasn’t always possible or convenient to have outstanding hygiene and be an awesome hero, but her mother truly did care about her personal health, so Brigitte crossed her heart and promised that she’d bathe regularly.

Having frequent showers in an actual was a pleasant change of pace.

The showers were on the second floor of the facility behind the rec room. The girl’s bathroom was tiled stark white with only a few dim light bulbs to illuminate the room. There were several sinks and toilet stalls to the left. Shower water pooled at crevices in the tile. Brigitte had to admit that she was not a big fan of toilets built into the floor. But hey, life was all about trying new experiences!

She walked past the sinks to the showers. There were no stalls for the showers. A series of pipes connected the water between faucets but that was about it. Luckily, the water was usually warm enough.

Brigitte pulled her shirt off over her head and flung it on a bench away from the showers. Then came off her bra and shorts. She wiggled out of the rest of her clothes and turned on the shower faucet. She was immediately assaulted by a painful spray of hot water. She jumped to the side dodging the heat.

“-motherFUCK.” She adjusted the water to a more comfortable temperature but it was too late. A giggle sounded from behind her. Hana was there, she had peeped her head around the corner of the dividing wall.

“Hot?” Hana asked

Brigitte’s eyes met Hana’s as she slowly adjusted the water’s temperature. “Yes.”

Hana rounded the corner carrying her own shampoo and towel. She was still lazily dressed in her pajamas and her long hair was tied up loosely in a bun. Her smile said cheery but her dark-circled eyes gave away that she’d been gaming for several hours already. “Pretty.” Brigitte remarked. “You look nice.”

Hana muttered something in her own language that Brigitte didn’t catch. Hana groggily went to the bench next to the showers and tossed aside her own clothing with a thump. Brigitte tried not to stare. Instead, she focused on opening up her shampoo or looking at the drain or adjusting the water temperature again or anything at this point.

“The showers aren’t really that powerful.” Hana made a semi-disgusted face. “Just not what I’m used to.”

“I think they’re awesome!” Brigitte lathered some shampoo onto her head. “I just love bathing indoors, with like.. actual indoor plumbing.”

“What was that??”

“It’s nothing.”

“Hey can I borrow your shampoo, weirdo?” Hana laughed.

“Ja.” Brigitte tossed her the bottle and Hana grabbed it. Hana had probably just forgotten hers or had run out. But when Brigitte looked at Hana’s messy clothes on the bench, she saw she had her own soap. “You’ve got your own schampo, Hana.”

Hana set the bottle down and started up the shower next to Brigitte. Still looking ahead she stated, “I like the smell of yours.”

Brigitte flushed. The redness already prominent in her cheeks.

“You can use as much of my schampo as you want.” Brigitte choked out. “I’ve also got this nice body wash exfoliant I use.”

“I’ll take some then.” Hana took the soap and opened it. She let the gel squirt onto her hands and rubbed the soap onto her arms first. She massaged her entire body and took extra care when rubbing her breasts as if she was making a show out of it. The slow way she circled her areolas with her fingers was enticing. She looked utterly delectable covered in soap and water.

“You aren’t too subtle.” Brigitte whispered close.

“Yea?” Hana whispered back. Her tone was light and playful.

“I just want to know if you maybe are into me.” Brigitte was fumbling with her words now, she wondered if Hana knew what she was doing to her.

“I’m hitting on you right now.” Hana said. 

“Oh?” Brigitte cocked an eyebrow. 

“Trying.” Hana said.

“You could try a little harder.” Brigitte leaned against the tilted wall, closing the space between them. Her face was just a breath away from Hana’s. “I won’t know for certain until we’re back at my room kissing again.”

Damn. That was bold, even for her!

She was somewhat surprised when Hana reciprocated. Hana seemed leagues above her. She was an actual superstar and well-established hero. The more she thought about how special Hana was to her the more she was certain Hana was the one she wanted to be with. Brigitte was absolutely smitten. 

Brigitte had thrown the bait out and caught Hana, now she just had to reel her little fish in. Luckily she had learned all her charms and lady-wooing etiquette from her mentor, Reinhardt, so nothing could possibly go wrong... It was then that Brigitte started sweating bullets.

They stood close together, cleaning and chattering like birds; both flirting and exchanging small touches until the shower water started to turn cold. 

“Will I see you at Breakfast?” Hana wrapped Brigitte’s towel around her and kissed her tenderly on the cheek. “For the pancakes?”

“Could you do me a solid? Can you pick me up some breakfast and bring it to the workshop, instead?” Brigitte wrapped her arms around Hana. She massaged the small of her back. “The new visor needs to be fitted this afternoon. If I ready the pieces this morning we can spend more time together tonight.”

Hana blinked. “Oh you’re quite the romantic type, aren’t you?”

“Trying.”

“Eh! You’re a Dork.” Hana dried herself off and started to dress.

“I can’t argue with that!” Brigitte laughed.

The two girls finished up and left the showers; While Hana went down the hall to get breakfast, Brigitte headed back to her workshop. Brigitte felt as if she were walking on air. Everything was going so perfectly.

She was finally in the action and on her way to completing missions as an actual member of Overwatch, not a squire or an agent’s daughter, but a bona fide Overwatch agent. She was given her own personal freedom and she had a lot of people trusting her work. The skills she had been honing all those years were actually being put to use so the confidence was just starting to settle in. Brigitte was thrilled to bits.

And then there was Hana. Hana was the epitome of confidence. She was someone confident, collected, and bursting with so much energy. Even when she started a mischievous streak or became a little too invested in her games, being around her was something Brigitte wouldn’t trade for the world.

Brigitte smiled to herself and rubbed the back of her neck. She really loved Hana a lot.

 

 

A little after noon, Brigitte still hadn’t finished the front panel. She wanted to work swiftly, but carefully. If any parts were loose, future versions would suffer the consequences as well. She took to the panel with her screwdriver and put her hand on the front to stabilize it. The panel immediately began to wiggle in place.

The piece sent up from the workshop must have been two sizes too big. To her added annoyance, one of the lab’s light bulbs above whined and went out, leaving her in the dark. C'est la fucking vie.

She started to develop a serious headache.

Hana had brought her breakfast pancakes and left in a hurry. She was caught off guard when there were a few soft taps at the door. Hana was outside, peering in. 

“Hej Hana! Läget?” Brigitte leaned back on her seat. She put down her tape measurer and pushed her safety goggles onto the top of her head.

From across the room, Hana opened the door only a little. Her fingers tapped on the metal of the door.

“Something up?” Brigitte tilted her head.  
Hana slinked inside and over to where Brigitte was sitting, she handed her some syrupy pancakes wrapped up on a styrofoam plate as well as a card. On the card was a cute bunny, and some excellently sketched video game characters from the mid-2030’s. There was a time and place listed below. Hana wanted to meet around the tree they first met at, at 21:00. Brigitte flipped the cardstock over. The backside was littered with hearts.

“Did you make this?” Brigitte was beaming. This was dead-ass the cutest thing she had ever witnessed in her life. 

“I had some cardstock, a really nice set of sixty-four markers, and some spare time.”

Brigitte sat up just to ruffle the top of Hana’s head.

Hana began to rub Brigitte’s back. “There’s some directions on it for a top secret rendezvous point. Tell me you’ll come.” 

“That’s quite a walk, hmm. I guess I’ll show up for a bit.” Brigitte finished examining the card and leaned into Hana’s massage.

Hana kissed Brigitte on the back of her head and was off again. Brigitte went back to work while eating one of the best meals of her life. 

 

 

Brigitte arrived ten minutes early. She gripped the branch of the tree and stepped over it’s tangled roots. It had been so long since she had seen this old tree. An immediate nostalgia rolled over her. This is where she met Hana when she first arrived. Her hand grazed over the tattered bark.

Hana was already there. She was behind the tree, next to a patch of long grass. She stared up at Brigitte. Her smile was infectious as ever.

“A wild Brigitte has appeared!” Hana beamed.

“And the same for you-” Brigitte wandered forward and grabbed Hana by the small of her back. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Hana pressed her face in so close their noses touched. “I like you, okay? A lot. And are we dating or something?” Hana dove right into what she had to say, barely taking a breath. “I’ve never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before, I guess. And everytime I flirt with you, I get actual butterflies in my stomach. I didn’t even know what that meant before! I take one look at you and all of the sudden I understand what that means. We even kissed that one time but I’m not sure if you like me. You said you like girls, but do you like me? Please. Please, please would you be my girlfriend?” 

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” Brigitte tenderly stroked the side of Hana’s face. “Of course.” And with that, the two kissed. 

Everything seemed so right, it was as if they had finally found a small bit of happiness and they were determined to make it theirs. They spent the next hour and a half just making small talk. Hana shared embarrassing stories and Brigitte shared her ambitions. Just to be close to Hana was a miracle. Never before had Brigitte been so comfortable expressing who she was in front of another person. 

“We should be getting back home soon.” Hana grumbled. “ I’ve got a meeting tonight and I have to phone some very important people. I don’t really want to.”

“Home. Jaja you say that like you mean the bunker is your home.”

Hana bumped into Brigitte’s shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

Brigitte bumped Hana back. “I know I’m just giving you a hard time. But, listen.” She turned around to face Hana in the balmly clearing. “We should hang out tonight.”

“Hmm. I’m listening.” Suddenly Hana developed a dangerous look in her eyes. “-Or we could hang out right now.”

“What about your meeting?” Brigitte cocked an eyebrow.

“That can wait.” Hana said.

For some inexplicable reason, Brigitte felt very sweaty. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it. The weather certainly wasn’t very hot. “So, you want to keep on hanging out in the woods for a while?” She asked. 

“Yeah” said Hana. 

“Oh, Ok. Damn.” Brigitte fumbled with her words.

Hana pressed her lips to Brigitte’s neck. Time seemed to freeze as Hana practically threw her arms around Brigitte until they were both rolling on the mossy floor. Their clothes would surely be stained after this. Brigitte was sure the grass stains would come out of her jeans but not entirely sure that Hana’s floral skirt would be the same. Brigitte locked Hana in a bear hug. It was innocent enough, but Brigitte found she couldn’t stop kissing Hana. It felt too good. What she thought would end in two minutes, turned into eight. This was clearly turning into a makeout session for the ages. 

It was around the time Hana slid her hands down Brigitte’s sides to cup her ass that  
Brigitte felt slick start to trickle down her leg. Damn, she was getting so turned on that it was getting hard to hide it. Hana squeezed her ass and Brigitte bucked her hips up with a soft moan. 

“Hana.” Brigitte moaned. “Can we?”

“Of course.” Hana grinned. “You’re a lot more horny than I thought.”

“Stop it I’m trying to be sexy!” Brigitte bumped foreheads with Hana. “Take off your skirt. I’m offering to eat you out.”

“Hurry up then.” Hana said breathlessly. 

Brigitte undid her belt buckle and slid off her own pants. She tossed them aside and pulled Hana up against the tree trunk. She placed her hands on Hana’s hips and hooked her fingers on her panties under her skirt. She pulled them slowly down her legs and didn’t break eye contact with Hana and licked her lips.

Once Hana’s panties were off, she flipped up Hana’s skirt to catch a glimpse of her pink little pussy. Fuck, it was so compact and a helluva lot different from her own. It really was cute. Her mouth watered.

Instead of diving in, she thought to tease Hana a bit. Her head completely covered by Hana’s skirt, she moved up and down, licking Hana’s legs leaving a trail of goosebumps. Hana lifted her left leg over Brigitte’s shoulder and pressed back into the tree. She arched her back in bliss.

Hana whimpered and rutted her hips forward, she wanted nothing more than Brigitte’s mouth on her aching slit. 

“Oh, Hana. I l-love you.” Brigitte whispered from under Hana’s skirt and she dipped her tongue into Hana’s folds. She hummed and started a steady lapping pace.

“Oh, fuck!” Hana cried out. “...That’s amazing.”

Brigitte hummed and continued to lick. Her tongue lapping up, just barely touching Hana’s clit. Brigitte’s mind went into overdrive. She just wanted to hear Hana enjoying herself. It turned her on so much. Once she finally moved on to sucking on Hana’s clit, she pushed two fingers inside Hana. Hana’s other leg went limp and the only thing keeping her up was the tree and Brigitte’s press.

Hana came moaning out Brigitte’s name. Tears forming in her eyes out of being brought to absolute pleasure. Brigitte licked at the remaining moisture and rose up to give a few nips to Hana’s neck. Her voice whispered low as it possibly could.

“I love you too, Hana.” Brigitte smiled as she nipped softly at her lover’s skin. “Let’s resume tonight, I hear you’ve got a meeting to attend.”

The two shimmied on their clothes, all while talking and kissing. When Hana hoisted on her jacket, a small trinket fell out. It was oval in shape and had the Overwatch logo on it.

“Overwatch?” Brigitte questioned giving the device a glance. “Where did you get that?”

“I know they’re a bit before my time but Overwatch… they were my heroes. They were willing to do everything to save lives, no matter the cost. This is just a small gift from an old friend. I think you should have it instead.” Hana slipped the trinket in Brigitte’s pocket.

“It’s one of the old communication devices they used to use. It’s really retro, so it’s probably worth a lot. I feel like I won’t be needing it anymore.”

“Really? Thanks so much.” Brigitte cocked her head. “I’ll keep it safe for you.”

“I know you will.” Hana smiled. 

They slowly made their way back to the fort just as the evening started to set in. It wouldn’t be long until they slept with each other again that night. Inside Hana’s room, Brigitte kissed the top of Hana’s forehead. They huddled together under the sheets for warmth. At first, what was beautiful and sensual suddenly became somber and quiet. They just finished having sex when Hana became very soft-spoken and distant. She stopped making any noise. Tystnad..

“Is something the matter, love?” Brigitte asked.

“I’m Sorry.” Hana eyes were redder than before. “Brigitte, I’m so sorry.” She could barely speak those words.

Brigitte could only hold her close. She knew everything hurt, and it hurt for her to watch her friend, her lover like this. She knew that Hana didn’t want her or anyone to see her in such a pitiful state, but she couldn’t bear to leave her alone. All she could do was provide comfort. Brigitte squeezed Hana tight; her hands clasped around her back.

“I’m just so happy. You’re so wonderful and for the longest time, I was so alone.” Hana sobbed into Brigitte’s shoulder. “I didn’t think it would ever affect me this much. Shi-bal I hate how I was stationed here on a moment’s notice. When everyone else on my taskforce is out risking their lives, on the streets of Korea. I hate here.”

Brigitte stroked the back of Hana’s head.

“I miss Busan, the base there, helping fight on the frontlines. I’ve had little communication with my family. ”

“Hana, I’m sure they’re waiting for you when you get back. They can’t have cut off all communications. I can still receive censored mail from all the Lindholms back home.”

“I don’t speak with my family much, of my own choice.”

“Oh.”

“Brigitte. Do you know how long I’ve been here, out of the public’s eye, no streaming, no movies, just another soldier.” Brigitte shook her head. “About two years.”

“Has it really been that long? I never realized.” Brigitte whispered.

“I have you and..” Hana paused “And I love you, so please don’t take this the wrong way.”

“I would never. Cross my heart, Käraste.”

“I miss home.” Hana finally stopped crying between words. “I’ve done everything for attention, my whole life feels like I’m trapped in a box. I’m always in the spotlight but I feel alone. I still do.”

Brigitte held Hana’s shoulders and brought her so they were facing each other. She cupped Hana’s face with her hands. “Mitt hjärta” She breathed and kissed Hana on the forehead. “My love” She kissed Hana on her cute nose. “Nothing is permanent, you will be gone, sooner than later.” Brigitte’s chest clenched. Judging from Hana’s emotional confession, she knew nothing of the state of the prototype. Hana had no idea that her dream of going home, of being in the public’s eye again was very close. 

If Brigitte could somehow become a better, faster mechanic she would. She would pull all nighters to ensure that Hana could go home again and see her family. She wanted Hana to laugh again like before, so loud the all of the bunker could hear.  
It was a miracle Overwatch had sent her, someone around the same age as Hana who had the potential of becoming very close friends. It was as if someone had the knowledge that she would work faster and more efficiently to see Hana’s MEKA finished than anyone else, even her father. Suddenly Brigitte’s throat felt dry. She didn’t want to think anymore. 

Brigitte continued. “And when you go, leave in pride. You have done great work here, Brilliant work. No one could have done the same.”

“Thank you.” Hana’s face showed relief, year’s worth finally just breaching the surface. It was a start. “Brigitte, I don’t think I could leave without you next to me.”

“But that’s not our choice to make. Listen, you get the next assignment and you take it. You run. Du måste lova mig. Promise?”

“Cross my heart.” It was Hana’s turn to hug Brigitte. “But I want a promise from you too.”

“Anything.”

The silence was thick and almost tangible. Hana stayed silent so long Brigitte thought she had fallen asleep. When Hana spoke out again, her voice was stronger than before.

“You know I’ve got a special brand of snack cakes I like. You can find them in any chain store in Korea. They have frosting in the middle and a small murloc on the top. They ran in promotional ads for World of Warcraft a while back. Promise me, STOP LAUGHING, BRIGITTE!! -promise me you’ll get me ten boxes of those!”

“Be serious!” Brigitte knocked their foreheads together harder than intended.

Hana pushed in for a kiss lasting several seconds. It left Brigitte’s head dizzy. Her thoughts were racing again. At last, they fell asleep. 

 

 

Fall came and passed. The bright red leaves were long gone and left bare trees spread over the white landslide. The snow was beautiful and heavy. Brigitte was entertwined with Hana in Hana’s room, like always. The two were nestled on top of Hana’s futon. They had no clothes although blankets pooled at their legs. This was just another afternoon for them, and they were filled with content. They groped and kissed each other roughly. 

Brigitte was satisfied to drink in every aspect of Hana. She grasped at Hana’s silky hair in bunches when Hana’s fingers entered her.

“A-ah.” Brigitte sighed. “You’re getting really good at this.”

“I’m the best.” Hana pushed her lips flat against Brigitte’s neck and growled “Admit it.”

Brigitte was about to open her mouth with a snide remark but she couldn’t. Her breathing became labored. When she was close to climax, she stopped being noisy. All sounds came in silent gasps and longing looks. Her mouth gaped open and Hana knew she had her right where she wanted her.

“I like seeing you like this. You’re all flushed and needy.” Hana pumped her fingers at a steady pace, bringing her other hand to rub Brigitte’s clit. Her senses failed her, and Brigitte felt shivers creep along her back. She knew she was close, she went in for a kiss but ended up missing and crying out into Hana’s bare shoulder as she bucked her hips forward. She pulsed and rubbed herself against Hana’s palm.

It was usually like this in their final weeks at the base. Restless and calm at the same time, they awaited the unknown. 

 

 

Their peace was brought to an end just when the snow started to melt. It was early spring when all the pieces started to come together. Warmness started to return to the mountainside, and suddenly everything became loud again. Birds began to sing again; the rivers unfroze; and new shipments and people started to arrive by the dozens. The fort became a lot busier than usual. 

Brigitte had hit a standstill with progress but found the necessary answers with Vishkar’s supply shipment. She bit the inside of her cheek. Of course the answers would be with those bastards! But she couldn’t deny the results. Balancing out the shields with hard light, she could extend the longevity of the defense matrix and perfect it. 

When Brigitte finally achieved success in designing the prototype, it was a chilly afternoon. Although there was still much work to do, the majority was finished. The parts would all be complete within the month and sent to Busan to complete. 

“Funkar som den ska!”

When she gave word to her superiors, the higher ups immediately requested a field test. Recently, the MEKA had been suited with micro-missiles and everyone was itching to see the finished product come together. 

Not only did they had Hana pilot it around the fort, but the surrounding area as well. For the first time, the MEKA was put into test on the mountainside and riverbanks. It wasn’t supposed to be waterproof, but thanks to the materials used around the cock pit, it could now withstand a longer duration under water. Beach excursions would now be more effective now that the pilots could navigate the shallow waters. 

This proved useful. Hana had an affinity for the water. She tested out the new MEKA in and out of streams. With her supervisors, Hana spent a lot of time outdoors and not much time around the fort. Brigitte only saw her for lunch and then she was off again on training. Brigitte sighed. She should get back to work, of course, but she stopped and rubbed her forehead. What work? She had finished her assignment and her last briefing was three weeks ago. It hadn’t offered her any insight on any new projects. Even the staff seemed to have diminished in size. There was nothing to be patched up. No fixes to make!

All that were left were meetings. Usually the Science division meetings consisted of the light architects, mechanics, tactile engineers, and higher ups reporting and receiving orders for several hours every week. As far as she knew, there hadn’t been any new meetings scheduled at all. Her stomach felt very uneasy all of the sudden. She couldn’t just ignore whatever this was. Perhaps she had just missed some memo.

At lunch the next day the cafeteria served their usual whole grain bread rolls and savory Korean soup that Brigitte came to adore. But she passed by the mess hall with determination; now was not the time for her to eat. Strange enough, she wasn’t even hungry. She instead found herself in her work area. It was a lot cleaner now that she had moved all the large parts out. There were still a few papers lying about and stains on the floor, but otherwise the lab was pristine enough.

She had done her job and proven her skills. She was an official agent of Overwatch, just like her father. She was just like Reinhardt. Giving back to the people and protecting the innocent, she thought that would be enough for her. But it wasn’t. It stung deep inside her. She never considered herself to be so selfish. She just wanted what was best for Hana. And above all, she wanted answers.

Brigitte flipped a switch and an workbench light came on she opened up her toolbox. She sat at the counter and took out the small Overwatch device Hana had given her. Her fingers traced over the Overwatch logo. It couldn’t have been a coincidence Hana had given her this. It looked ancient but there was a chance it still worked.

She pressed all around the device’s grooves until she found a button. A blue holo-screen appeared and she found the name “Winston” located at the top of the menu. She pressed it. A few short beeps later, Winston’s voice sounded over the device.

“Oh, Hello There.” 

Brigitte smiled. She always loved to hear the big goof’s voice.

“It’s been a while.” She said.

“Brigitte?” He was clearly taken by surprise. “How did you get one of my contact beacons? There’s only ten known in working condition.”

“A friend gave it to me. That same friend said she wouldn’t need it anymore, Winston.”

His voice softened up after that. “Hana Song, I presume?”

“Winston, please.” She begged “I want answers.”

Winston was quiet for a few moments. She could hear him typing away at his keyboard with loud clicks and a few short grunts.

“And you deserve them. Let me see here, you’re still in South Korea. Hmmm. One of the older bunkers belonging to a private organization. Fort Chi-hun, Lower level. Uhhh, this is a serious national security breach if I was able to find that out using our older systems. It would appear as if I just committed an act of cyber terrorism”

“We’re not being monitored, Winston. They don’t care anymore. I think..”

“The prototype is finished?” Winston asked.

“Everything was shipped out last week to Busan so they can work on the final thing. Scientists, MEKAs, military personnel, they’re all gone. We only have a skeleton crew now. It’s only a matter of time before I’m given a new assignment. Will I still work with the MEKA pilots?”

“I will be honest with you.” There was a hint of sadness in Winston’s voice. “You’ve done excellent work, Agent. And I’m proud of you, but you already know the answer is no.”

Brigitte was silent.

“Brigitte.” Winston said, apologetically. 

“Winston did you give me this mission knowing damn well Hana was my age?” 

“Yes”. He said.

“-And that I would be her friend. Is that why you picked me instead of my father? Not for my skills as a mechanic or my potential but because I could befriend a lonely girl out here and then leave her. Everything about this girl except her professional persona is classified, Winston, and I’m just… a mechanic.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And now you just- you just expect me to leave her when she needs a friend the most?”

Winston continued “This isn’t a situation similar to Agent Wilhelm’s arrangement, where you are a personal mechanic. This was a military posting assignment. In fact they will keep developing similar projects in the future, you may be reassigned-”

“I understand, Winston. I’m sure you’re trying your hardest. I just wanted to know the truth about why they specifically wanted me.” Brigitte said. She always knew there was something more than luck that brought Hana and her together. Brigitte’s eyes vision blurred as hot tears streamed down her cheeks and pooled at her lips so she tasted salt. 

“It’s not right. I’ve heard the rumors about how powerful the signals are.” She felt choked up and could hardly manage her next few words. “She’ll die.”

What Winston said took her by surprise.

“Brigitte. Do you have faith in your work?” He asked. 

“Yes.”

“I know you’ve done an excellent job in securing Hana Song’s safety with your engineering skills. There is another part too.. But that’s something you can’t have power over or fix if anything should go wrong. It’s Hana’s responsibility to succeed too, and you are going to have to trust she will know what to do out there, just like she’s trusting you with her machine.”

“She will, she’s the most talented of the MEKA pilots.” Brigitte said, her heart racing. 

“Then be there as support for her.”

With a hint of sadness in his voice, Winston continued. “I have confidence in both of you. You’re very capable women in the field and I have no doubt that the next pilot mission will be a success.”

“I hope you’re right, Winston. Thanks.” She hung up.

Her hands shakily put the device back in her toolbox. She usually considered herself and optimist, but she could sense pure reassurance when she heard it. Winston didn’t know how things would turn out. No one did. Brigitte didn’t feel sad or even wronged, she just felt angry.

This was part of a larger militaristic game that she was now officially an agent for. Her reputation and Hana’s life was on the line. She had never before felt so much depending on her craftsmanship.

“Fitta Mother. Fucking SHIT.” She was confident in everything she did up until that point. What was out of her control put fear into her heart. She needed to talk with Hana. Somehow even seeing her face or holding her hand would bring her peace. 

Brigitte put on some messy sneakers and wandered the halls. She found her girlfriend in the cafeteria where she was plucking apart string cheese and eating it carefully. The overhead cafeteria lights flickered as if they wanted to give out at any second. 

Hana was in a an almost melancholic state. Brigitte had hoped she hadn’t found out about her outburst earlier, but she couldn’t be certain. It was unbecoming of her to snap like that at someone like Winston. None of this was his fault, not to mention he was her superior.

It hurt her so much to even look at Hana. Brigitte’s heart felt heavy as bricks and she when she tried to swallow, her throat ran dry. Everything about Hana’s appearance was off. Her hair was unkempt and dull. Her eyes were unusually tired and even her motions were tentative and slow. This girl sitting in front of her was a completely different person.

“Hey, Love. How are you feeling.” Brigitte asked.

“They say the Omnics are coming back.” Hana’s teeth clenched together. “It hasn’t even been two years and they’re already resurfacing.”

“We don’t know for certain.” Brigitte grasped Hana’s free hand and they interlocked their fingers. 

Hana continued. “There’s this… increasing thermal activity on the Eastern coast. It’s as if they’re lumping together beneath the waves. The military has already begun fortifying the shoreline before they bring in the big guns. They’re certain they’ll attack soon.”

“How soon?” Brigitte’s voice started to give out.

“In approximately nine months. We have to be ready in case. I’m sorry, Brigitte. I’m frustrated. I’m really really REALLY frustrated. I want to beat these things at all costs. I want to be a hero. Most importantly, I want to be the hero Korea needs.” Hana’s tone became increasingly more powerful. “If I could go out there right now I would. I’d stomp all of those dirty omnics so hard they’d never respawn. And-” She breathed. “And, thank you, for listening.”

Brigitte sat down at the table next to Hana and brought her into a hug.

“You think things are the end of the world but tomorrow comes before you know it. Then you’ve got different problems. I know it’s painful. But when tomorrow comes, I’ll be there. So Please, hang on.” Brigitte said.

“And then there’s usually something else that comes that seems like the end of the world! It never stops, huh?” Hana grinned. 

“That’s usually how it goes.” Brigitte shrugged. 

“There is something I need to tell you.” Hana confided. “In two weeks, I’m headed to Seoul to give a publicity speech with several other members of my team. I’ve made arrangements for you to come with, would you come with me?”

“Yes. Yes! Of course.” Brigitte exclaimed. 

 

That night, it was silent. Everything was calm, much like their first sleepover together. They still had time. Even if it was two weeks. Brigitte wanted to savour every moment of it.

Sometime around three in the morning, a loud noise erupted from the speakers. The two girls were jostled awake by the noise. The speakers blared a demanding Korean voice on loop. Brigitte could only make out parts of the alarm, she could hear words like “attack, emergency, soldiers to stations,.... Hana Song.”

“What are they saying!?” Brigitte put her hand on Hana’s shoulder.

Hana’s eyes were wide, she was shaking but only for a moment. Maybe it was just Brigitte’s imagination. “There’s been an attack, in Busan.” In a moment, Hana was upright. She was someone entirely different, she was self-assured, extremely confident, and extremely mature. She was the person Brigitte had seen playing games she knew she was about to win; someone who never lost.

Hana took a hair tie from off her wrist and tied her hair in a ponytail. She was still in her pyjamas when she hastily put on her sneakers not even bothering to untie them. The room was freezing, almost as if they had turned off all the heat in the facility.

“Here take this.” Brigitte unzipped the sweatshirt she was currently wearing and handed it to Hana. “Cover up.” 

“Thanks.” Hana threw the jacket over her arms hurriedly, not even waiting to zip it up. “We have to go. Hurry. Hurry!”

Brigitte swiftly put on an undershirt and pair of mud boots in the corner as she raced after Hana down the hallway.

The lights from the hallway flared red casting everything in a dismal bloody hue. Personel flocked by the dozens down the tight hallways. Panic smeared on everyone’s faces. The voice on the intercom became louder.

“They keep speaking-!” Hana called back to Brigitte over the crowd. She grabbed Brigitte’s hand and pulled her at a faster speed down the hall. “They are saying.. the omnics are rising again from the ocean, oh my god.. A large portion of the coast has been entirely destroyed. Hurry.”

They reached the main courtyard of Fort Chi-hun. The air was warmer outside, but not by much. Bright lights flooded the entire outside. A helicopter flared up in the middle. Trucks pulled up, people pooled out. A group of higher ups found Hana soon enough. The ushered the two along to the center where the helicopter was waiting.

“I have to go. The MEKA is already on its way to the checkpoint.” Hana squeezed Brigitte’s hand.

“Hana, Hana I love you.” Brigitte cried out. It was hard to hear or speak with the loud noises the helicopter made “Be safe, come back to me someday, please.”

Time was short. Hana gripped Brigitte tightly and kissed her. It was their shortest kiss, but their most passionate one. Tears flowed from Brigitte’s face and Hana boarded the helicopter. Several more people boarded and Brigitte starred in a silent numbness. She was shooed away by several uniformed soldiers and told to clear the area for the take off. The helicopter lifted higher, but she didn’t see Hana from inside. She could only make out uniforms. Just before the helicopter neared a height she couldn’t see, Brigitte spotted Hana. Hana made a swift lean to the side, prodding someone out of her way and made eye contact with Brigitte below. Hana let out her trademark smile and made a peace sign. Somehow… everything would be alright.

Brigitte was too rattled to laugh, but she let out a smile through the tears and drowsiness. Even though Brigitte knew everything would be okay for Hana, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. She was nervous about Hana’s safety and about Hana putting her life on the line using her MEKA upgrades. But for Hana’s sake, she had to believe in her skill as a soldier and all her years as a professional gamer. It was a hope she could hold on to.

”Hana...” Brigitte spoke to herself. “I will come and find you. Stay alive.”


End file.
